1951 Qantas DHA-3 Drover crash
 A DHA-3 Drover, the aircraft type involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 July 1951 |
| Summary | Loss of control due to structural failure |
| Site | Huon Gulf near Lae, Papua New Guinea |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover |
| Operator | Qantas |
| Registration | VH-EBQ |
| Flight origin | Wau Airport, Wau, Territory of Papua and New Guinea |
| Stopover | Bulolo Airport, Bulolo, Territory of Papua and New Guinea |
| Destination | Lae Nadzab Airport, Lae, Territory of Papua and New Guinea |
| Occupants | 7 |
| Passengers | 6 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 7 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 16 July 1951, a scheduled Qantas domestic passenger flight operated by a de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover within the then Australian-administrated territory of Papua and New Guinea, from Wau and Lae, with a stop in Bulolo, crashed into the Huon Gulf whilst approaching Lae Nadzab Airport, killing all 7 occupants on board.[1] The investigation determined the crash was caused by a structural failure, which caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.[1]
Aircraft
[edit]The aircraft involved was a 1950-built de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover, delivered to Qantas on 13 September 1950. The aircraft was based in Lae, located within the Australian-administrated territory of Papua and New Guinea.[2] At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated 200 flight hours.[1]
The aircraft was initially meant to be sent to the de Havilland parent company in Hatfield, Hertfordshire for a European sales tour, with the registration G-ALLK, however it was instead delivered to Qantas.[3]
Passengers and crew
[edit]The aircraft was piloted by John William Spear, 30, a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot for five years, and was awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross.[4][5] The aircraft carried 6 passengers - four Australians and two Americans. The two American passengers had visited Wau to consecrate a new church there.[6]
Flight chronology
[edit]The aircraft departed Bulolo at 08:35 for Lae. After 31 minutes, notified the ground controllers about his position over the Markham River. The aircraft was flying in two miles of visibility due to rain fall in the area. Air traffic controller had notified the pilot of poor weather and rain, but that the airport remained operational.[7] The aircraft then lost control and crashed in the Huon Gulf, 4 miles south of Lae Airport, killing all 7 onboard. Just before the aircraft crashed, the pilot notified Lae ground control that he was landing in 5 minutes. This was the last message from the aircraft before the crash.[6]
Once the flight was overdue, planes were sent to search for the wreckage.[8] A Douglas aircraft located the wreckage in 50-feet deep waters.[7] A Department of Civil Aviation boat later that afternoon managed to recover the bodies of two passengers, and some aircraft debris, including a wheel.[4] A diver from Finschhafen was sent to inspect the aircraft's other pieces of wreckage, and recover the remaining bodies.
£35,000 worth of gold ingots was onboard the flight, however, attempts to salvage them were unsuccessful.[9]
Investigation and further incidents
[edit]Shortly after the crash, Qantas's Inspector of Accidents, J.R. Byrne, left Sydney to assist the airline's Lae-based staff with the investigation.[5] Initially the accident was attributed to pilot error due to the pilot continuing the flight in low cloud and rain.[2] A center propeller with a missing blade was found at the crash site, however this damage was believed to have been attributed to the impact.[2]
On 16 April 1952, another Qantas DHA-3 Drover, VH-DHA (piloted by Clarrie R. Hibbert) was involved in an accident, which involved parts of the central propeller breaking off and penetrated the fuselage, severely injuring the pilot's foot, and rendering him unconscious.[3] Passenger Tom Drury, a DCA inspector and licensed pilot, made a ditching, and all 3 occupants were rescued by a RAAF crash boat the following morning.[2] This then renewed the investigation of the 1951 crash. The Civil Aviation Department believed that these accidents were attributed faults in the propellers.[10] It was announced that all DHA-3 Drovers would be temporarily grounded and would have their propellers sent to Sydney for examination.
The DHA-3 Drover was known to have issues with engine-propeller vibrations. At full load, the DHA-3 Drover could not maintain height with two engines. Vibrations would increase to "worrying levels" with the nose engine stopped.[3] The aircraft model had a number of accidents and incidents involving engine issues and unaccounted fuel starvations since the accident. On 11 September 1952, a third Qantas DHA-3 Drover (VH-EBS) has its nose propeller snap off, pulling its engine out during takeoff.[3] The aircraft successfully aborted the takeoff. This immediately resulted in all DHA-3 Drovers grounded again in Queensland, per advice from the Civil Aviation Department Headquarters in Melbourne, and soon nationwide.[3][11] A Civil Aviation Department expert and a Qantas officer was sent from Brisbane to investigate the incident.[11]
Further investigations into the 1951 crash revealed that a blade in the central propeller had broken off due to a structural failure which resulted in the engine being pulled out from its mounting, causing the pilot to lose control and crash into the sea.[1]
Aftermath
[edit]After the September 1952 incident, all DHA-3 Drovers were grounded.[3] During the grounding, new propellers were designed and fitted on the DHA-3 Drovers. This resulted in the Drovers having a reduced load limit, which was soon improved with the installment slotted flaps.[2][12] All modified Drovers were known as the Mk. 2.[3] Despite these changes, the DHA-3 Drover's reputation was already damaged, with Qantas declining to take delivery of its final two DHA-3 Drovers, and eventually selling 5 of its existing Drovers to Fiji Airways.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Crash of a De Havilland DHA-3 Drover 1 off Lae: 7 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Goodall, Geoff (26 February 2023). "DE HAVILLAND DHA-3 DROVER". Goodall. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ord-Hume, Arthur (9 March 2017). "ROUGH and Ready". KEY.AERO. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Fatal Air Crash Near Lae". The Advertiser. National Library of Australia. 17 July 1951. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
- ^ a b "SEARCH FOR BODIES Lae Air Crash". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 18 July 1951. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
- ^ a b "VICTORIAN VICTIM IN CRASH Seven Die in Plane". The Age. National Library of Australia. 17 July 1951. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
- ^ a b "PLANE CRASHED INTO SEA: SEVEN KILLED". Central Western Daily. National Library of Australia. 17 July 1951. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "PLANE CRASHES NEAR LAE". Press. No. 26475. National Library of New Zealand. 17 July 1951. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ "BULLION FROM PLANE WRECK MAY BE IN MUD". Barrier Miner. National Library of Australia. 28 August 1951. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "DROVER PLANES GROUNDED". The Daily Telegraph. National Library of Australia. 5 August 1952. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ a b "DROVER PLANE GROUNDED". Townsville Daily Bulletin. National Library of Australia. 12 September 1952. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "DE HAVILLAND AUSTRALIA DHA-3 DROVER MK. 2". Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved 19 March 2025.